28. Seppeku: Seppeku: It’s probably unfair to put this up against these other bands, as this is only a first demo, but it meets my only qualification for consideration: it came out in 2009, so here it is.
27. God Forbid: Earthsblood. This is easily the biggest disappointment so far this year. I had high hopes for this album, and I’m not sure what happened, it’s just kind of bland. This just did not meet my expectations. It’s not bad, just disappointing. Maybe it will grow on me.
26. Leif Edling: Songs of Torment-Songs of Joy: I’m not sure where these songs of joy come in, this album is just slow and depressing. The promo for this was sent to me for free in an order I placed with Hells Headbangers. Edling is the bassist and principal songwriter for Candlemass and this is his first solo album. Not bad, but there’s not much going on really.
25. Saxon: Into the Labyrinth: One of the last remaining NWOBHM bands left. This is a strong album that would have been even stronger had the band lightened up a little on the hard rock songs. The metal songs are great, but there’s a lot of filler.
24. Believer: Gabriel: A fine reunion album for this band, but only the first half is really worthwhile. There are far too many filler songs on the second half, particularly the throwaway sample and noise tracks at the very end. Still, welcome back Believer.
23. HOD: Serpent: HOD is a newer band from the filth and grime that is Texas black metal. The band has quite a few death and thrash metal influences as well to further add to the hostility of their music. A good album, but not something that other bands aren’t doing and doing better. Still, a band to watch.
22. Mantic Ritual: Executioner: This band is part of the new thrash resurgence. The band takes a lot of its influences from Bay Area thrash metal bands like Metallica, Testament, and Exodus. This is a decent debut album, but not wholly original.
21. Grave Digger: Ballads of a Hangman: The German longtime power metal band proves that they have quite a bit left in the tank. The album kind of loses steam after awhile, but it is filled with memorable songs. A pretty good album by a band that has been around forever.
20. My Dying Bride: For Lies I Sire: The somber, doom legends are back with one of their strongest albums in years. The music is typical for MDB: slow, long, and melancholic. A good album, but extremely depressing. The violin is back, adding to the atmosphere.
19. Devourment: Unleash the Carnivore: This album hails the return of the slam death metal pioneers. It’s a little less slam, and a little more brutal technical death metal, and it is a fairly good album, despite being a little repetitive.
18. Cannibal Corpse: Evisceration Plague: Cannibal Corpse releases the same album every time, luckily for them it’s a very good album. I’ve never been as big a fan of Corpsegrinder as I am of Chris Barnes. Still though, this is a quality release, Cannibal seems to be getting more technical.
17. Lion’s Share: Dark Hours: This is a new album by the longtime Swedish melodic metal masters. I was not aware of this band until this year and they are quite good. A bit of a low ranking as there have been a lot of good albums this year, but their song "Barker Ranch" is possibly my favorite song of 2009 so far.
16. Destroy Destroy Destroy: Battle Sluts: This is a band similar to Children of Bodom, Kalmah, and Norther. They play power metal with harsh vocals. I was expecting something a little closer to traditional metal, but this isn’t bad. They are better than COB and Norther at least.
15. Dreaming Dead: Within One: Dreaming Dead is a newer band that combines black, thrash, and death metal into one explosive mix. They have a beautiful female singer who is extremely capable behind the mic. This is a very good debut release from a promising band.
14. Kreator: Hordes of Chaos: The German thrash metal masters are back. This album blends thrash and melodic death into a frenzied flurry of riffs. A good album, but not a great one.
13. Rumpelstiltskin Grinder: Living for Death, Destroying the Rest: These guys are just having a blast. The riffs are fast and furious and coupled with the staccato shouted vocals provide and energetic, fun listen.
12. Obscura: Cosmogenesis: This is an extremely good technical death metal album. I am not always a fan of this genre, but this band pulls things off extremely well. They are not just random riffs, they form a coherent song structure. Lots of other random effects make things much more entertaining.
11. Bloodsoaked: Sadistic Deeds...Grotesque Memories: This is the sleeper album of the year so far. I got this because Comatose Music was out of stock on another album. It’s an extremely impressive combination of modern brutal death and old school death metal, and it’s a one man band. Very interesting release.
10. Old Man’s Child: Slaves of the World: Galder, also of Dimmu Borgir, presents the latest album from his side project. This is a melodic black metal album, and it is a very good representation of the genre. It’s heavier and has more death metal influences than Galder’s other band.
9. Tribulation: The Horror: Tribulation is a new Swedish death metal band drawing upon influences from the classic Swedish death metal bands and adding their own grotesque take on the genre. They are heavier, more brutal, and have a creepier atmosphere than their contemporaries. Definitely a band to watch.
8. Absu: Absu: Absu is one of the earliest and most interesting American black metal band. This is their return album from a long hiatus and it is quite good. It’s a little bit closer to blackened thrash, but I do greatly enjoy that combination. There are some great riffs and some extremely interesting drumming found on this album.
7. Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know: I’m sure my one or two loyal readers are getting sick of me talking about this one, so I won’t spend much time on it. It’s not as good as it could be, but it is still a very good album.
6. Amorphis: Skyforger: One of my favorite bands, Amorphis released another melodic progressive metal masterpiece. Not quite as good as Silent Waters, but still an amazing album.
5. Seance: Awakening of the Gods: Seance is a lesser known, but very heavy band from the early days of the Swedish death metal scene. They recently reunited (as did many others such as Evocation) and released a new album. This is a fantastic example of true Swedish death.
4. Goatwhore: Carving Out the Eyes of God: This band is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They blend death metal, black metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, and Lousiana attitude. Their sound is loud, brash, and in-your-face. Truly one of the greatest American bands to form in the last 15 years.
3. Cauldron: Chained to the Nite: Cauldron formed when Canadian true metal warriors Goat Horn broke up. Cauldron picks up where their predecessors left off, playing fist-pumping, traditional metal anthems.
2. God Dethroned: Passiondale: I was a little hesitant to pick this up thinking that this band is basically a clone of Behemoth, Naglfar, or Lord Belial, but I am glad I picked it up after all. This is a very good album by a band that has started to find its own voice. It’s a concept album about the Battle of Passchendaele in WWI.
1. Razor of Occam: Homage to Martyrs: This is basically Destroyer 666 but with a more cosmic lyrical bent. This is a great piece of blackened death/thrash. It is extremely aggressive and heavy and there are great songs on here. A shoo-in to be one of the best albums of the entire year.
Some of the albums that have released already this year that I have not gotten yet are: Thanatos, Destroyer 666, Obituary, and Destruktor.
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